CAT 2026 Sample Papers: Take Free Tests Online; Download PDF (based on last 10 years’ CAT papers)

CAT Sample Papers 2026 are prepared by experts based on past year’s CAT actual paper to prepare you for actual CAT exam. Paid sample test series from institutes like TIME, IMS, and Career Launcher are available for Rs 3,000 to 8,000. 

However, MBAUniverse.com has prepared CAT Sample Papers 2026 Free Series, that are 100% based on last 10 Years’ Actual CAT Papers. You can take CAT Free Mock Test (below) that are based on actual CAT 2025, CAT 2024, CAT 2023, CAT 2022, CAT 2021, CAT 2020, CAT 2019 and even older. Check links below and start taking free CAT mock test without registration!

Before taking the sample test, you should be aware of the CAT exam pattern as sample test will be based on the same. CAT 2026 Exam Pattern is divided into three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), Quantitative Aptitude (Quant). Check details in the table below. 

To help MBA aspirants looking for high-quality free CAT Sample Papers 2026 with Answers, MBAUniverse.com has prepared CAT sample tests which are based on actual CAT papers. You can take CAT Sample Papers (below) that are based on actual CAT 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and older previous year papers. Just follow these steps and start taking your test now! 

Step 1: Browse to ‘Sample Test’ section at the end of this page. Select a CAT Sample Papers: for example, based on “CAT 2025 - Slot 1”.

Step 2: Click on ‘Take Test Now’ link below. This will take you to free registration window.

Step 3: Register for free in just a minute.

Step 4: You will be directed to CAT Sample Test page. Now you can start taking the CAT Sample Test!

A big advantage of taking Sample Papers on our platform is that the MBAUniverse.com CAT Sample Test interface is exactly the same as actual IIM CAT Exam Test interface. So, you get used to taking the actual CAT exam much in advance! Check actual image of MBAUniverse.com Test Interface below.

MBAUniverse.com Sample Test interface

CAT Sample Test PDF can be downloaded from this page itself. For CAT Sample Test PDF Download, you simply need to click on “Download PDF” button next to the links on this page. After a quick registration, you can download full CAT Sample Papers PDF Free. 

CAT toppers give high importance to sample papers and mock tests in their preparation strategy and found that they are the most important part of CAT preparation when it comes to assessing your preparation level and to find your strong and weak areas where you need improvement.

Rahul Gupta, CAT topper with 100 percentile and IIM Ahmedabad pass out says, “Mocks and sample tests played a huge role in improving my performance as I got to know my strengths and weaknesses by analyzing my past performance and to work on my test strategy as well.”

Tanuj Ruia, CAT topper with 99.69 percentile and IIM Bangalore pass out batch took 30 Mocks and Sample Tests before the exam and invested close to seven hours to analyse each of them to check his mistakes. 

Sruthy S Kumar, CAT topper with 97.71 percentile and IIM Lucknow pass out concentrated on taking as many sample tests and mocks as possible. Sharing their importance, Sruthy says, “Everyone serious about CAT needs to take at least 20+ mocks. Initially, taking a mock test and reviewing it used to take me almost an entire day and gradually I was able to analyse in 3 hours or so.”

Taking CAT 2026 Sample Papers is only half the work — the real preparation happens during their analysis! CAT toppers spend twice the time analysing a mock as they do attempting it. Here is how to analyse your CAT sample test results effectively:

• Accuracy Check: Do not focus only on your score. Calculate your accuracy separately for each section — correct attempts divided by total attempts.
• Time Analysis: Identify which questions consumed disproportionate time. CAT rewards smart question selection, not brute-force attempts.
• Error Classification: Categorise every wrong answer — was it a conceptual error, a calculation mistake, or a misread question? Each type needs a different fix.
• Skipped Questions Review: Go through every question you skipped. If you could have attempted 3 more correctly, that directly impacts your percentile.
• Sectional Cut-off Check: Verify whether your section-wise scores would have cleared typical IIM sectional cut-offs. A high overall score with a weak DILR section can still result in rejection.
• Trend Tracking: Maintain a mock test log. Track your score, accuracy, and time per section across every mock. Improvement is visible only when tracked consistently.

Apart from full-length mocks, CAT aspirants must also take sectional sample papers for each of the three sections — VARC, DILR, and Quantitative Aptitude. Sectional mocks allow deeper, focused practice without the fatigue of a full exam. They are particularly useful in the early preparation phases when candidates are still building fundamentals in specific areas.

• VARC Sectional Samples and Mocks: Focus on RC passage speed, comprehension accuracy, and Verbal Ability question types — paragraph completion, odd sentence, and jumbled paragraphs. Attempt at least 3 VARC sectional mocks per week during Phase 2 of preparation.
• DILR Sectional Samples and Mocks: Practice set selection under time pressure. DILR is the most unpredictable section in CAT. Sectional mocks help candidates develop the instinct to identify solvable sets quickly and skip difficult ones without wasting time.
• QA Sectional Samples and Mocks: Target topic-wise accuracy. Use QA sectional mocks to identify weak topics — Geometry, Modern Math, or Algebra — and revisit them before the next mock cycle.

Take CAT 2026 Sectional Sample Papers free on MBAUniverse.com from the links below.

CAT Official Mock Test 2026 will be released by the conducting IIM on the official CAT website iimcat.ac.in closer to the exam date. It replicates the exact interface, navigation, timer, and question format that candidates will encounter on exam day. Check CAT Official Mock Test 2026 on MBAUniverse.com for updates. 

Free CAT Resources: CAT Cut Offs, Score Vs Percentile, Predictor

MBAUniverse.com has launched free CAT 2026 resources to help you set clear CAT targets and optimise your preparation and college applications. First, check the required CAT Cut Offs 2026 percentiles for shortlisting at 21 IIMs and top Non-IIMs. Next, check the required score using CAT Score vs Percentile 2026. Finally, estimate your percentile before and after the exam using the CAT Percentile Predictor 2026. All tools are free to use and live now. Read more details below and try them now! 

CAT Sample Papers 2026 on MBAUniverse.com are 100% based on actual CAT papers from 2015 to 2025. CAT toppers recommend taking at least 20–30 full-length Sample Papers, spending twice the test duration on analysis after each mock. Start taking tests from the links below. CAT 2026 Sample Papers PDF Download link is also given above.